September 20 – In his element, with blues music blasting out across Lake Erie and up the Cuyahoga River, Ed takes some friends on a sunset tour during the First Annual Ohio City Blues and Brews Festival at Whiskey Island. With the Sunset Grill jammed with people for yet another party down by the marina, Ed was ecstatic as he looked out over the crowds, saying: “Look at this, Whiskey Island is the hottest place in Cleveland!”

Ed ‘Citizen’ Hauser April 29, 1961 – November 14, 2008

“I speak in a gentle voice, with facts.”

So it was for this tenacious political and environmental activist from Maple Heights, OH, who so loved the land, the waters, and the people of Cleveland that at 47 years old he would leave behind an unprecedented legacy of place and personal accomplishment not seen in this town for decades. Meticulous, respectful, persistent yet genuinely modest, Ed Hauser had what it took to defend the singular beauty of the public realm, the inviolable integrity of the democratic process, and the right and privilege of the citizen to be heard. He educated us; he represented us; he inspired us. He flat out cared. There was never a public meeting, a community event, or a personal tour that went untouched by this guy’s passion for what was right. He thoroughly researched every governmental action; sourced, copied, e-mailed and distributed the relevant documents; provided written and oral testimony for every public meeting, (videotaping the proceedings for good measure); secured thousands of signatures for any number of petitions; and stood tall on the unassailable facts. It was not without a measure of pride that he should sue the Port Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers and win. With that victory, he pressed on and managed to beat both Cleveland City Hall and the Port Authority’s ill-advised lakefront collusions not once, but twice. The Hulett Ore Unloaders, the Coast Guard Station, the Inner Belt Bridge, the relocation of the Port, and his beloved Whiskey Island were all part of his relentlessly endless mission to make things right. A heart attack took him down. Was he stressed out? Definitely. Did he take care of himself? Well, he was just beginning to look at that. And now, as one of his most loyal ‘side-kicks’, I have to say goodbye to Ed…and join his family, his friends, and legions of citizens alike who grieve for this loss. We can only wish that this fun loving, quick witted, decent man will live on in our hearts and in our deeds, inspiring us to continue to work for his vision of justice, transparency, and public access. It was his unfailingly, laser sharp dedication to fairness and common sense that made him so successful. The ‘Mayor of Whiskey Island’ will be missed. He was a good friend and a very good man.

Peter R. Griesinger - 11/21/08

(An edited version will appear in the Dec/Jan edition of EarthWatch Ohio.)